


Left. Right. Left.

by Casity



Category: Invader Zim
Genre: Hot Chocolate, Light ZaDr, Morning walks, ZADF
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-26
Updated: 2019-09-26
Packaged: 2020-10-28 16:50:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20781899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Casity/pseuds/Casity
Summary: Dib and Zim walk together to Skool on a cold October morning.Zim stopped to throw away his full cup in one of the garbage bins alongside the road. He then bent down to tie a loosened shoelace, but his fingers were swatted away when Dib crouched down to tie them himself.





	Left. Right. Left.

Dib didn’t know how it began, but he knew it’d gone from disagreeable to untrusting to a harbored sense of _what the fuck_ to simple routine.

And, if he were being perfectly honest, it wasn’t an unpleasant routine.

So, he tugged on his jacket, slipped into his backpack and then pulled on his boots before plugging ear buds into his phone. Opening the door, he stepped outside on this brisk and chilly October morning. His breath took vapor form and everything around was quiet yet alive; And standing at the end of the sidewalk, was a bundled green alien, tapping his foot and holding two styrofoam cups whilst looking anywhere but at the seventeen-year-old Dib Membrane. 

A smile pulled at his mouth, but Dib shoved it away and took a step forward, leaves crunching underfoot. He offered no greeting as he passed Zim, but they fell instep together. 

Left. Right. Left. Right.

Sky violet and the ‘done-for-the-day’ moon dimming.

Left. Right. Left. Right.

Dib tried to think back to when this had begun, but there were a hundred attempts that all led to this stifling morning walk to Skool. It was strange, that much was for sure, because he knew for a fact it had started with attempted capture on both their parts. Along the way, as they aged and matured, it’d played into stepping in time together and…

“Here’s your earth _mud_ slime,” Zim hissed as he finally relented a cup of hot chocolate towards his frienemy. “But I didn’t stir it!”

“Yeah. You never do. Maybe I’ll stop boiling the water when it’s my turn to make it.”

This earned a glare accompanied with yet another hiss of indignation, even though Zim never bothered to drink the liquid. It was a formality, one which he believed made him appear more human.

Left. Right. Left. Right.

Cars passed with their overwhelming exhaust, and Dib sipped at the warm beverage, his eyes glancing to Zim’s snow boots. They were hand-me-downs from Dib, from when the invaders clothing had begun to wear out, and he refused to purchase new items.

It’d been a thing. 

Like, an awkward and horrific real thing.

Dib had been 14-years-old at the time, and had watched and winced when teachers would request conferences with Zim’s silly make believe parents. It’d gotten so out of hand that eventually Dib just packed up his and Gaz’s old clothes and left them on Zim’s porch.

The next day, Zim came to class decked out in something other then his pink invader uniform, and the school stopped their inquiry. 

But now, as Dib stared at the worn hand-me-downs, he couldn’t help but say: “I know you have money. Either you go buy new clothes, or I’ll drag you to the store myself. Gaz and I don’t have any more stuff that’ll fit you.”

A rare chirp, that marked one of Zim’s foreign Irken tells.

“I mean it. We’re not doing the whole teacher and fake parent thing again.”

“These disgusting human cloth skins are still suitable.”

“Fine. Friday after school.”

A chirp.

Left. Right. Left. Right. Sip the hot chocolate.

“What is the Dib-thing listening to? His Dib-sisters music?”

“You know she’ll beat you up if she hears you calling her that.”

“Yes. Yes. She has an identity _separate_ from the Dib.” Zim stopped to throw away his full cup in one of the garbage bins alongside the road. He then bent down to tie a loosened shoelace, but his fingers were swatted away when Dib crouched down to tie them himself. 

Having five fingers equaled better lace tying skills, and he hated waiting for Zim. “Yeah, well, we both know you like her.”

Zim balanced, holding his left foot ‘just so’ as his human twisted and knotted the black laces. “She’s an acceptable worm baby.”

Dib mocked his friends clicking noise as he stood. He couldn’t stop the smile this time, seeing Zim glare up at him. “Maybe if you stopped sending me hateful texts, I would give you my account info, and you could listen instead of wondering.”

“Zim does not need music!”

“Is that right?”

“Disgustingly so!”

Dib allowed his smile to expand, and put a hand on the top of Zim’s head, holding him at arms length as he unzipped the alien’s backpack.

“Stop! Zim commands you to stop!”

Ignoring the sharp claws that scratched at him, Dib pulled out Zim’s tablet. He even allowed a giggle as he jumped to the side when Zim tried to tackle him. ”Any music on this, hmm? Hey – **FUCK**!” 

Biting, with lovely sharp pink teeth had never been below Zim, and he snarled as the tablet was relinquished. 

“I TOLD YOU TO STOP WITH THE BITING, YOU STUPID LIZARD!”

“THEN YOU SHOULDN’T USE YOUR PATHETIC INBRED HUMAN STEALING SKILLS OF THEFT!”

“I WAS JUST TEASING!”

“AND AFTER ZIM MADE YOU THE CHOCOLATE MUD?!”

“I _KNOW_ YOU KNOW IT’S CALLED HOT CHOCOLATE!!”

And this was just the way it was. A friendship forged by mutual dislike, walks to Skool, tying shoes, winter hot chocolate and summer soda, all mixed with random violence and eventual screaming. Yet, still Dib sometimes worried, because next year he’d be a senior, which meant college was coming.

What would life be like without Zim? 

He didn’t know how, but he relied on the tiny figure, and knew that Zim depended on him as well.

“PERHAPS NEXT TIME I’LL BLEED YOU, AND THAT WILL BE THE MORNING HUMAN ENERGY JUICE!”

Dib rolled his eyes, then flicked Zim’s forehead before tossing his hot chocolate and bolting for Skool.

He didn’t even have to check. 

Zim was running after him.

Left. Right. Left. Right.

**END**


End file.
